NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq:JBLU) brings airport design into the 21st Century with the October opening of Terminal 5 (T5) at John F. Kennedy International Airport, one of the nation's first terminals to be fully designed and constructed post-9/11. Located behind the landmark Eero Saarinen-designed TWA terminal, the new 635,000-square-foot, 26-gate facility designed by Gensler and created in collaboration with Turner Construction Company, Arup, DMJM Harris/AECOM and Rockwell Group, interprets the iconic TWA Flight Center for today's jet set. T5 was majority funded by and built in collaboration with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
"Terminal 5 is not just an airport terminal -- it's a People Port. It's designed to provide operational efficiencies without sacrificing, and in fact showcasing customer-friendly qualities," said Richard Smyth, vice president redevelopment and project lead for JetBlue. "It's the bricks and mortar manifestation of JetBlue's award-winning customer experience and friendly service."
T5 represents a new airport model designed for modern travel considerations, such as self-service options for customers and easily navigated security areas. Forty ticket counters and 65 e-ticket kiosks are evenly distributed on both sides of the check-in lobby. In the center of the departures hall, a 20-lane security checkpoint -- the largest single checkpoint in the country -- eliminates bottlenecks and features efficient, customer-friendly details such as self-selected lanes for families, casual travelers, and expert jetters. Soft rubber flooring and a 225-foot long bench to 're-vest' after passing through security is available, making the quick trip through security pleasantly unique.
Guided by JetBlue's identity as a high-value carrier known for thoughtful details such as leather seats and extra legroom on board its jets, T5 incorporates customer-friendly elements such as splashes of bold color, abundant natural light, both lounge-like and traditional seating at gates, free Wi-Fi throughout, customer service zones in every concourse, food ordering capability at the gates, and a visual paging system for a quieter terminal less reliant on constant audio paging.
"Inspired by JetBlue's promise to return humanity to air travel, we considered every detail from the traveler's perspective and set out to remove some of the stress involved in air travel," said Gensler project director Bill Hooper.
With its straight angles of matte gray corrugated metal and glass, Gensler's design for T5 complements the Saarinen building's curvilinear concrete structure. The ticket hall features exposed structural steel, and industrial elements, and materials throughout the terminal were chosen for durability and a minimalist aesthetic. Designed to be intuitively navigable, abundant signage and other visual clutter is not needed. Instead, customers are provided physical cues such as signature materials and directional ramps.
Masterplanning and engineering work by Arup, along with the firm's extensive testing and commissioning program for the terminal, has assured the smooth and efficient flow of an unprecedented quantity of passengers, planes, and luggage in a single terminal. Efficient passenger movement throughout the terminal was ensured by rigorous computer analyses of passenger flow. Dual taxi lanes on the runway permit simultaneously departing and arriving planes. An in-line baggage system that seamlessly delivers luggage from check-in, screening and sorting, to planes, processing up to 4,000 bags per hour, also contributes to the terminal's industry-leading 30-minute plane turnaround time.
"Terminal 5 reflects the priorities that helped JetBlue remake the industry," said Tom Kennedy, project director for Arup. "It is the first terminal specifically planned and designed to operate at the level of efficiency and economy that JetBlue wants for its customers, and we expect future terminals will follow its lead."
A 55,000-square-foot central Marketplace is located at the nexus of the three concourses and throughways to and from security and baggage claim. With a design and brand concept by Rockwell Group, the Marketplace captures the vibrancy of New York City. Inspired by some of the city's most iconic spaces and experiences such as steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Yankee Stadium, the Marketplace features a 4-foot-tall grandstand and a 2-foot-tall platform for seating or performances and exhibitions, and a dramatic 40-foot-diameter signage ring of LCD monitors suspended by stainless steel cables, visible from all concourses. The Marketplace is home to a majority of the terminal's nine full service restaurants, bars, and cafes; eight quick-serve eateries; three coffee bars; six bars/lounges and 25 retail stores. The exterior of each retail store in the Marketplace features a glowing portal that can contain both brand imagery and signage.
"The Marketplace reflects JetBlue's unique design aesthetic and recognizes that the air carrier was conceived in New York. The result is an environment that is bold, celebratory and affirmatively New York," said David Rockwell, founder and CEO of Rockwell Group.
A new parking garage and the intra-terminal AirTrain are connected to the terminal by a skywalk. Following the renovation of the landmark Saarinen/TWA Flight Center terminal, travelers will also have the option of entering through the "front building" and reaching T5 via two renovated 'flight tubes.'
Construction management for the project was provided by Turner Construction Company. Responsibilities included scheduling, budgeting, cost estimating, value analysis, purchasing and construction supervision services for the new terminal and its associated roadways, ramps and connectors.
"Turner Construction Company is honored to have served as the construction manager for this landmark project. While Turner has managed the construction of terminals at some of the nation's busiest airports for more than 50 years, this project proved to be one of the most complex and rewarding aviation projects the company has ever managed," said Emad Lotfalla, vice president and construction executive for Turner Construction Company.
DMJM Harris provided complete services for the airside and landside design of the new terminal such as: preliminary design, schematic and final design documents; agency coordination, TAA approvals, full construction documents, bidding and award, construction phase services, and cost estimating.
About JetBlue Airways
New York-based JetBlue Airways has created a new airline category based on value, service and style. Known for its award-winning service and free TV as much as its low fares, JetBlue is now pleased to offer customers Lots of Legroom and super-spacious Even More Legroom seats. JetBlue introduced complimentary in-flight e-mail and instant messaging services on aircraft "BetaBlue," a first among U.S. domestic airlines. JetBlue is also America's first and only airline to offer its own Customer Bill of Rights, with meaningful and specific compensation for customers inconvenienced by service disruptions within JetBlue's control. Visit www.jetblue.com/promise for details. JetBlue serves 51 cities with 500 daily flights. With JetBlue, all seats are assigned, all travel is ticketless, all fares are one-way, and an overnight stay is never required. For information or reservations call 1-800-JETBLUE (1-800-538-2583) or visit www.jetblue.com.
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About Turner Construction Company
Turner is recognized as the leading general builder in the U.S., ranking first or second in most market segments of the construction industry. The company's 5,800 employees perform work on over 1,700 projects each year. During 2007, Turner completed $9.6 billion of construction.
Turner's aviation experience dates back to World War II when the company built naval air bases throughout the Pacific. Since then, Turner has managed large and complex construction projects at some the nation's busiest airports including in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, DC. In New York, Turner has completed numerous projects at JFK and LaGuardia airports, as well as the Heart Tower, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and is currently managing the construction of the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.
About Gensler
Gensler is a global design, planning, and strategic consulting firm, with more than 3,000 professionals networked across 31 offices on five continents. Gensler has been designing airports for more than 20 years and has completed 50 separate passenger terminal projects for leading airports such as the new North Terminal at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Terminal 2 at the Changi Airport in Singapore, Delta Airlines Terminal 5 at LAX, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, San Jose International Airport, Palm Springs International Airport, John Wayne Airport, and Terminal 2 at San Diego International. Gensler understands the business drivers for airport operators and the expectations and needs of passengers. Since 9/11, Gensler has emerged as a specialist in terminal security -- currently consulting with several major airports on 15 different terminals.
About Arup
Arup is a global firm of planners, designers, engineers and business consultants providing a diverse range of professional services to clients around the world. The firm is the creative force behind many of the world's most innovative and sustainable building, transport and civil engineering projects and design technologies. Established in 1946, it has more than 10,000 employees in more than 90 offices and 37 countries together working on up to 10,000 projects at any one time.
Arup's global aviation practice is founded on 50 years of multidisciplinary experience at more than 100 airports worldwide including Beijing Terminal 3, Heathrow Terminal 5 and at Dubai, Hong Kong, Madrid/Barajas, Tel Aviv/Ben Gurion, Toronto/Pearson, Atlanta/Hartsfield, Washington/Dulles, Los Angeles/LAX, Nagoya and Kansai, Japan, and Zurich. Over the last decade at JFK, Arup has been involved in the planning, design and engineering of Terminal 4, renovation of Terminal 6 for JetBlue and Terminal 7 for British Airways, and master planning for Terminals 2, 3, and 4.
About DMJM Harris/AECOM
DMJM Harris provides planning, design, management and construction support services in the aviation, transit/rail, highway/bridge, marine, energy and power services, program management/construction management planning and design-build markets. The firm's multi-disciplinary staff of 2,600 includes engineers, construction specialists, architects and other professionals are strategically deployed in offices around the United States.
DMJM Harris is part of the AECOM family of firms. AECOM (NYSE:ACM) is a global provider of professional technical and management support services to a broad range of markets including transportation, facilities, environmental and energy. With more than 41,000 employees around the world AECOM companies provide a blend of global reach, local knowledge, innovation and technical excellence in delivering solutions that enhance and sustain the world's built, natural and social environments.
About Rockwell Group
Rockwell Group is an award winning, cross-disciplinary 250-person architecture and design firm specializing in cultural, hospitality, retail, product, and set design. Founded in 1984 in New York by David Rockwell, the firm crafts a unique narrative and an immersive environment for each project. Rockwell's interest in theater has informed much of the firm's work, which ranges from the W Hotel, W Union Square Hotel, and Adour Alain Ducasse at The St. Regis New York; the Children's Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx; the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles; Nobu restaurants worldwide; and groundbreaking set designs for Broadway productions of "Hairspray" and "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." Rockwell Group is currently at work on Canyon Ranch Living, the Elinor Bunin-Munroe Film Center at Lincoln Center, the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, and the Imagination Playground initiative. David Rockwell is the 2008 recipient of the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum's National Design Award for Interior Design.
This press release contains statements of a forward-looking nature which represent our management's beliefs and assumptions concerning future events. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions, and are based on information currently available to us. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements due to many factors, including, without limitation, our extremely competitive industry; increases in fuel prices, maintenance costs and interest rates; our ability to implement our growth strategy, including the ability to operate reliably the EMBRAER 190 aircraft and our new terminal at JFK; our significant fixed obligations; our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel and maintain our culture as we grow; our reliance on high daily aircraft utilization; our dependence on the New York metropolitan market and the effect of increased congestion in this market; our reliance on automated systems and technology; our being subject to potential unionization; our reliance on a limited number of suppliers; changes in or additional government regulation; changes in our industry due to other airlines' financial condition; and external geopolitical events and conditions. Further information concerning these and other factors is contained in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including but not limited to, the Company's 2007 Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release.